Best Wings In St. Louis? Here's What 1500 Tasters & 27 Judges Had To Say

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The traditional wings from Three Kings Public House are lightly dredged in seasoned flour.

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A close up of Three Kings' Chicken and Waffles wing. A certain dining editor tweeted the following at the blind judging: "Fat, juicy, sticky, sweet, maple-y. Tastes like waffles. And I love waffles."

The 5th Annual St. Louis Wing Ding (its proceeds benefiting United Cerebral Palsy Heartland), was held last Thursday evening at Greensfelder Center in Queeny Park. Twenty-one restaurants participated in the tasting and competition, most of them cooking hundreds upon hundreds of chicken wings onsite.

A total of 51 different wings were sampled, in four categories.

The highlight of this year's competition (in this judge's opinion) was the creativity put forth in the Specialty Wing category. It was the most interesting category by far, and the hardest to judge. The judge's plate below indicates the level of effort exhibited.

The results of the judging are below.

Traditional:

1st – The Kitchen Sink

2nd – Joe Buck’s

3rd – Winfield’s Gathering Place

Dry-Rubbed:

1st – St. Louis Wing Co.

2nd – Walnut Grill

3rd –  Sugarfire Smoke House

Hottest:

Ozzie’s Sports Bar & Grill (at Lumiere Place) 

Specialty:

1st – Sugarfire Smoke House – loaded potato skin stuffed wings wrapped in bacon with ranch sour cream

2nd – St. Louis Wing Co. – Miso Horny (Bacon wrapped wing with miso glaze with wasabi and sriracha aioli, and spicy soy glaze.)

3rd – Three Kings Public House – Chicken & Waffles wing, with Bacon Jam and Maple Syrup 

Judges Overall Favorite:

Sugarfire Smoke House’s Specialty Wing (see description above)

People’s Choice:

St. Louis Wing Co.

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It should be noted that the price of chicken wings has more than doubled since the first Wing Ding in 2011 and attendance has quadrupled, so more than ever, a restaurant donating its time and (lots more) product for a local cause is worthy of local support. Keep that in mind the next time the urge strikes for chicken wings. The complete list of Wing Ding competitors is below.

2015 Participating Restaurants

Follow George on Twitter @stlmag_dining or send him an email at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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